Elephants, Oh My

Spring has arrived in the Texas Hill Country and along with it has come an influx of surprising new animal arrivals; the most unusual of which we recently visited at the Hill Country Elephant Preserve.

Just north of Stonewall, Texas a charming, hard working married couple totally devoted to elephants is building a preserve for elephants. At present they have five female Asian elephants that regularly put on educational shows that are truly awe-inspiring.

The elephants follow voice commands, do tricks, promenade, and entertain. One of them comically steals food from the others. They are Asian elephants with only about 35,000 of their species remaining in the world. You can identify an Asian elephant by its smaller ears as compared to African elephants their rounded backs, and distinctive heads.

The preserve consists of 57 acres designed to provide the elephants a home in which to live out their long lives in comfort and serenity. The cost to feed and keep an elephant is substantial. Hence, the necessity of the admission fee for those attending the shows at The Preserve.

The time spent taking care of the elephants by the owners of The Preserve and their helpers is substantial, beginning shortly after dawn and going until dusk. Keeping an elephant translates to a lot more work than it would for keeping a dog or a cat.

Trudy and I recommend a visit to The Preserve, 650 Double Horn Road listed as Fredericksburg but it is really much closer to Stonewall. The shows are given on weekends and holidays and book up early as a waiting list exists. It is well worth the price of admission. Their phone number is 830-992-0373.